More Inspiration

Creating Little Boy Pages

Most of us have a little boy somewhere in our life. If you don’t have a son you might have a nephew or a friend’s child — or childhood photos of a brother, husband or boyfriend.

But creating boy-themed scrapbooking pages can be tough! The two biggest challenges? Getting boys to sit still for the photographs, and choosing boy-themed scrapbooking supplies. I’ve got tips for both of those challenges.

You have two options when it comes to taking photos of children: A staged photo shoot, or candids. Both are great for scrapbooking.

I like to do a 5-minute mini photo shoot. Promise the child a time limit and stick to it. Take as many photos as you can get during that time period and don’t push for more. It’ll be much easier to get them to pose for you next time if they know it won’t take them all afternoon. Use a neutral background, like a white wall (you can drape a sheet to make an instant background) and place the child on the floor or in a chair. Let him play with favorite toys—not only will you capture the memory of those favorite playthings, the child will have a prop to interact with, giving you a better photo!

I also love candid shots. I like them even better than posed shots; they just have so much more personality! If you have a digital camera, make sure to use your action setting (this will prevent blurry photos). As a mom, I’ve learned to always carry my camera with me—this way I don’t miss out on any of those spontaneous photo opportunities.

My other trick? The photos you use don’t always have to be a picture of your child. Take a picture of their favorite toy or their favorite spot on the playground. These photos can be great to illustrate what makes up your child’s world during a particular year.

My number one tip for taking photos is to use your zoom! A picture of your living room with a tiny portion of the photo showing your child is not nearly as engaging as a close-up. Close-up photos capture the details of your child’s expression and really enliven your photo. Notice how the photos above really zoom in on the boys’ faces?

After you’ve gotten your photos taken don’t forget to journal. Journaling gives your photos context. It’s just as important as the photos. One of my favorite journaling techniques for children’s pages is a ‘favorite things’ page. It’s a quick and easy journaling recipe and really helps you capture that moment in your child’s life. The journaling recipe is easy to follow: Simply list your child’s favorite things (toy, food, color etc.) for that year, or for that month if their tastes change more quickly. A great companion page for the ‘favorite things’ page is a ‘dislikes’ page. You follow the same format but list your child’s least favorite color, toy, food, and so on.

Don’t like your handwriting? Not crazy about your writing skills? Then journal on a scrap of paper and tuck it into a pocket, as I’ve done on the layout above. That way I have the details written down but without the pressure of having my writing on the page.

Supplies & Techniques
We all know how many ‘little girl’ themed products are available. Pink and ‘princess’ paper and embellishments are everywhere, but until recently it’s been hard to find little boy products that weren’t decorated with bugs or sports themes. Now there are far more choices!

When choosing background papers, I generally opt for pastels for babies and toddlers (pale blue, yellow and green are good choices), then graduate to stronger reds and blues for older boys. Metal embellishments are a great choice for boy pages, and you can find a lot of specialty items to suit the boy’s interests, from pirates to cowboys. For both of these pages, I used Brad Buddies™, which are lightweight metal shapes held onto the page with brads. They’re quick and easy to use and give the page an instant theme.

When it comes to techniques, I like to keep it simple on boy pages—especially since there’s usually a lot going on in the photos. One subtle layout technique is to overlap elements. On both of these pages, I’ve placed embellishments overlapping the photos. It helps to lead your eye through the page and adds dimension. You can also tilt elements, like the photos on ‘Howdy Boys’ for added interest.